Describe Yourself on LinkedIn

6. Empathetic.  Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others.Thats great but also almost worthless unless you  do  something with those shared feelings: offer support, offer help, offer guidance, offer tough love, etc. Feeling empathetic is fine, but what you do with that feeling makes all the difference for the other person.Claiming youre empathetic turns a feeling that should be all about another person into a description thats all about youwhich, of course, is completely not the point.7. Fearless.  Everyones afraid. If my pal ex-Navy SEAL pal  Jeff Boss  can admit to having been scared hey, weve all been afraid.  Besides, courage isnt the  absence  of fear. Courage is doing what you need to do  in spite  of fear.So dont say youre fearless. Youre not. Brave? In certain circumstances, maybe. Courageous? Possibly so. But fearless?Please.8. Straightforward.  Maybe its just me, but I read straightforward and it sounds similar to starting a sentence using,  With all due respect  Straightforward is usually a code word for rude, abrasive, disrespectful, or impolite.Be  straightforward all you want. Well assess your level of candor by what you say, not by what you call yourself.9. Adaptable.  I hate to whip out a cliché, but the only constant is change. Nothingno industry, no market, no job, no, um, nothingstays the same. We all have to be adaptable.Like Chris Rock says, never take credit for things  youre  supposed  to be.10. Independent.  Self-reliance is a good thing. The ability to take care of yourself, to function without too much help or assistance, is a good thing.But thats now how most people use the word. Most people describe themselves as independent as a way to cover for being terrible team players, or for not knowing how to follow as well as to lead, or even as an excuse for not playing well in sandboxes.After all, Its not that I dont get along with other people. Im just independent!Sure you are.